Swindon and East Wiltshire Liberal Democrats - Swindon Borough Council Candidates

Emails have been sent inviting Lib Dem members to apply to be a Lib Dem candidate for the Swindon Borough Council in May 2026.

The notice is published here: Notice of invitation to apply to be a Lib Dem Swindon Council Candidate in May 2026.

Your application must arrive on or before Friday 28th November 2025

Swindon Borough Council is made up of 25 wards. The two Swindon constituencies  “Swindon North and South Swindon” contain 23 wards. The southern 2 wards are part of the East Wiltshire constituency.

The following people are happy to give advice before you apply:

• Swindon North and South Swindon constituencies: Ciaran Skinner ciaranlskinner@gmail.com
• East Wiltshire constituency: Nikki Pike chair@eastwiltslibdems.org.uk

To become a borough councillor, you must be:

• A British, qualifying commonwealth, or European Union national with retained rights, and be resident in the United Kingdom
• Aged 18 or over on the day of nomination
• Either on the electoral register for the Borough of Swindon or have lived or worked or have owned property in the borough for at least the last 12 months

A useful page to find out more about the role can be found at:

https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20073/
elections_and_voting/449/how_to_become_a_
councillor

The Election Commission Guidance also have a useful page:

What you need to know before you stand as a candidate  | Electoral Commission

All Lib Dem candidates need to be ‘approved’. This involves filling in and returning an application and an interview by a panel of 3 local Liberal Democrats.

Once ‘approved’ candidates can then be considered for selection to stand as a Liberal Democrat for the Swindon Borough Council election in May 2026.

To apply for approval:

1 - Download the application pack, including the documents below:

• Application Form
• Diversity Survey
• Memorandum of Understanding

2 - Fill in each document.

3 - Attach the completed forms to an email and send them to: 

• Swindon North and Swindon South constituency wards: Ciaran Skinner ciaranlskinner@gmail.com

• East Wiltshire constituency wards: Nikki Pike chair@eastwiltslibdems.org.uk

• or post to Swindon Steering Group at 17 St Mary’s Place, Chippenham, SN15 1EN.

4 - In the email, please also include the ward you wish to stand in.

5 - You will then be called to an interview panel, who will interview you to confirm your suitability to be a Liberal Democrat Candidate for the Swindon Borough Council.

Q1: If I am approved, can I stand for Swindon Council as a Liberal Democrat?

A1: Not automatically! All candidates that we approve (or are already approved) will be considered for any ward for which they apply. If more approved candidates apply than the available council seats for a ward, then there must be a selection contest.

Q2: Can I apply for more than one seat?

A2: Yes! Please indicate which ward is your preferred ward to contest. If you win two selection contests then you will be required to choose which ward to contest. This process ensures that you do not have to “second guess” which ward to apply for.

If you need any help with this page, please email chair@eastwiltslibdems.org.uk